1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to trash receptacles and more specifically to dynamically adjustable sensors for use with trash compactors and receptacles.
2. Introduction
Collection of solid waste is an expensive and polluting procedure. Every day, heavy trucks are deployed to collect trash and recyclable materials. However, there is significant waste in the current waste collection solutions. For example, collections or compactions are often made to receptacles which are not full and, in fact, are capable of holding additional waste. Many times, trash compactions are run too frequently or infrequently, thereby resulting in inefficient operation. Moreover, current solutions do not provide a proper mechanism to dynamically adapt the compaction schedules to meet accurate demands.
The receptacles and compactors for waste and recyclables used by the current collection solutions are also prone to poor utilization. As a result, high implementation, operational and service costs are incurred by the current collection solutions. For example, costly components, such as motors, batteries and various sensors and electronics, are typically used to power a compactor or a communicating device. Here, such components are not prudently applied or efficiently driven. Also, communications costs are typically high, as communications components are often not used efficiently. In some cases, costly networks are used even when free networks are otherwise available.
In addition, current solutions lack effective and efficient means for dynamically identifying obstacles such as dirt and waste materials in a receptacle (or any of its components), and promptly making appropriate and intelligent adjustments. Yet waste collection can be a messy endeavor, and, not surprisingly, the operations and components of the trash receptacles used for waste collection can easily become clogged, encumbered, or inefficient, particularly as waste contents increase.
This problem is exacerbated by the static design and operational parameters of the current receptacles and compactors, which often prove to be inadaptable to the environment or evolving standards and practices. For example, standard receptacles and compactors are generally limited in their applicability to various types of locations and operations. As a result, current solutions are not robust, and provide limited flexibility and adaptability.